A division arose in the crowd because of him. John 7:43

The Lord Jesus performed great signs in the midst of His people. This helped people recognize Him as the Son of God. Many were impressed by these signs; others refused to see God’s finger in them. This led to division among the people and their leaders.

The Greek word schism, which is rendered as “division” or “discord” (in the Elberfeld translation), occurs three times in the Gospel of John – and always in connection with Christ. On one occasion, this division is particularly about his person; on another, about his works; and finally, about his words. Let’s take a closer look at these three passages.

Conflict because of his person

The Lord Jesus taught the crowds in the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. How did the people react? “Some of the crowd, when they heard these words, said, ‘Truly this is the prophet. Others said, ‘This is the Christ. Others said, ‘Surely the Christ does not come from Galilee? Did not the Scripture say, ‘From the family of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was, comes the Christ? Now there was a division in the crowd because of him” (John 7:40-43).

The division arose because of Him. Some thought He was the great prophet Moses had spoken of (Deut 18:18); others thought He was the Messiah. They were impressed by the many signs that Jesus performed (John 6:14; 7:31). These signs included the remarkable healing of the man who had been paralyzed for 38 years (John 5:1-9; 7:21).

Others rejected the Lord Jesus’ messianic claim because He came from Galilee. They claimed:

1. It was unknown where the Christ would come from (Jn 7:27).
2. The Christ must have been born in Bethlehem (John 7:42).
3. No prophet had ever risen from Galilee (John 7:52).

But these were by no means valid objections:

1. The prophets had predicted both the birthplace of the Messiah and his ministry in Galilee (Mic 5:1; Mt 4:14-16).
2. The very things they argued to reject Jesus applied to Him: He, the Son of David, had been born in David’s city, Bethlehem (Lk 2:11)!

3) Prophets from Galilee had indeed arisen, such as the prophet Jonah, who had lived in Gath-Hepher, a town north of Nazareth (2 Kings 14:25).

All his words and works identified Jesus as the prophet, the Messiah, and the Son of God. The fact that He had lived for a time in Galilee (in Nazareth and Capernaum) did not contradict this according to the testimony of the Scriptures. But His enemies and critics knew neither Him nor the Scriptures. This even applied to the Pharisees, who prided themselves on their knowledge of the Scriptures (cf. John 7:49).

Discord because of His works

One Sabbath, the Lord Jesus healed a man born blind by divine power. As a result, the Pharisees confronted the healed man in the synagogue. “Then some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath. Others said, ‘How can a man do such signs? And there was a division among them” (John 9:16).

The division arose because of the signs that the Lord Jesus had performed. Some Pharisees understood that Jesus could perform miracles only because God was with Him (cf. John 3:2).

But other Pharisees thought that Jesus could not be from God because He performed miracles on the Sabbath. In their eyes, He was breaking the day of rest God ordained. They did not understand that the Father and the Son work every day in this sin-corrupted world (John 5:17). Furthermore, they did not realize that they themselves performed the painful circumcision on the Sabbath; why then should a person not be made well on this day (Jn 7:22)? The Pharisees’ selfish zeal for their traditions blinded them to the actions of God.

The man born blind also testified that the healing was a divine work: “We know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone fears God and does his will, he hears him. From all eternity it has not been heard that anyone has opened the eyes of one born blind. If he were not from God, he could do nothing” (John 9:31-33). But his words were in vain: the healed man was thrown out of the synagogue – thrown out into the arms of Jesus, whom he was allowed to recognize and worship as the Son of God (John 9:34-38).

Discord because of his words

The Lord Jesus spoke to the crowds about the good shepherd who would give his life for the sheep by his own authority (John 10:7-18). When they heard these profound teachings, “a division arose among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, ‘He has a demon and is out of his mind; why do you listen to him? Others said, “These sayings are not those of one possessed with a demon; can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” (John 10:19-21).

A controversy arose over his words. Some boldly claimed that his words were due to demonic influence and madness, while others thought that the healing of the man born blind made it clear that the destructive power of Satan could not work in Jesus.

People obviously understood little of what the Lord Jesus was saying. But many did not look for the cause in themselves. They did not realize that unbelief was blocking their path to knowledge (John 10:25, 26). They did not “hear” the words of God because they were not “of God” (Jn 8:47). They remained untouched by the works of the Lord Jesus, which revealed His glory and showed so clearly that the Father was in Him and He in the Father (Jn 2:11; 10:37, 38). “Although he had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in him” (John 12:37).

Discord – even today

The Son of God no longer lives and works on earth. Yet the Bible gives us a divine account of his deeds. The apostle John writes at the end of his gospel: “But these signs are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). And to this day, there are people who come to believe in the Lord Jesus and find eternal life in Him.

Others, however, are not convinced and do not believe (cf. Acts 28:24). They express their insipid criticism of His person, words, and works and refuse to acknowledge the One whom the Father has sanctified and sent into this world for our eternal salvation. As a result, disunity and division remain among people, even within families (Luke 12:51-53).

Blessed are those who have found “the preciousness” in Him, but woe to the disobedient who take offense at the word of God (1 Peter 2:7, 8)!